The Splendor of the Red Chamber

[PS: Requesting votes at the beginning of the month—expected to be available next week.]

Not to mention how Jia Lian wasted his time at the royal mausoleum.

Meanwhile, Sheng Hualan returned to the Earl Zhongqin's mansion, and as expected, was summoned by her mother-in-law and scolded.

However, since there was progress in her application for an official position, Hua Lan didn't take it too seriously.

Little did she know, the more Madam Yuan saw her calm and composed demeanor, the angrier she became.

She's clearly from a humble background, trying to climb the social ladder, but she dares to act all high and mighty in front of me just because the Earl's mansion used her dowry.

Who gave her the guts?!

Therefore, he scolded her even more harshly and found a pretext to punish Hualan by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for an hour.

When Hua Lan came out of the ancestral hall, Yuan Wenshao was already pacing anxiously in his study.

However, upon meeting, he still feigned concern and asked, "Are you alright, my wife? Should we apply some liniment?"

"I'm used to it."

Hua Lan shook her head slightly, then gave her husband the answer he most wanted to hear: "Second Master Lian has relented and agreed to help resolve this matter."

"real?!"

Yuan Wenshao was overjoyed and hugged Hualan tightly, saying excitedly, "My good wife, you are truly my virtuous helpmate! Once I obtain an official position, I will never let my sister-in-law mistreat you again!"

He only dared to criticize his sister-in-law, and dared not point out his mother's faults.

As he spoke, Yuan Wenshao had Hualan sit behind the desk, and while personally massaging her shoulders, he excitedly asked, "How did you convince Shulan to help? She hadn't been willing to agree before!"

"I……"

Hua Lan hesitated for a moment, then told the truth: "I asked my mother to persuade her, but Shulan still wouldn't budge. Coincidentally, Master Lian came over that evening, and in my anxiety, I simply went to his door to ask for an audience and said a few words on your behalf."

After a pause, she recounted how Jia Lian had overheard the two brothers arguing at Fanlou.

Yuan Wenshao was filled with regret. If he had known there would be this, he should have protected the Yue family back then to avoid making a bad impression on Jia Lian.

Fortunately, things eventually came to fruition.

He apologized several times, then asked, "How did that lady persuade Master Lian?"

Hua Lan dared not tell the truth about this part, and only vaguely said that she had defended Yuan Wenshao in front of Jia Lian, saying that Yuan Wenshao had even been punished by his family and confined to his home in order to protect him.

Yuan Wenshao vaguely sensed that there was something untrue about what he said, but since he had already achieved his goal, he didn't really want to delve into these minor details.

When Jia Lian asked about the specifics, Hua Lan was speechless.

He immediately slapped his forehead in regret, saying, "It's my fault, it's my fault! I didn't explain it clearly to my wife! Here, I'll explain it to you in detail, and you can go to the Sheng family again later..."

"Jiro."

Hua Lan interrupted him, saying seriously, "I was just punished by my mother, how can I go back to my parents' home? Besides, Second Master Lian went yesterday, he may not go again today."

"Now that Changwu is constantly by Lian Erye's side, obeying his orders, why don't we write a letter and send it to Changwu, who can then pass it on to Lian Erye?"

Yuan Wenshao is currently relying on his relationship with the Sheng family, so naturally he wouldn't refute her suggestion.

So he carefully considered the wording and spent most of the day writing a letter between a mother and son—the outer letter was for Sheng Changwu, and the inner one was to be forwarded to Jia Lian.

Then he sent his trusted servant to wait at the entrance of the Sheng family's villa and personally delivered the letter to Sheng Changwu.

After the letter was sent out, Yuan Wenshao paced back and forth in his study like an ant on a hot plate.

Finally, the servant returned to report, and he hurriedly grabbed him, asking, "How did it go? Did the letter arrive?"

"this……"

The servant was somewhat embarrassed and took out the letter from his pocket: "Young Master Sheng refuses to accept the letter and wants Grandma to go and explain things to him in person, just like yesterday."

"Um?!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Wenshao frowned. Where did these words come from?

Could it be that Sheng Changwu was worried that his going to the Five Cities Garrison would diminish the "favor" that Master Lian had for him, and that's why he was so resistant to this matter?

That makes sense!

No wonder Shulan was so stubborn; it was only through Hualan's meeting with Master Lian that the matter was settled.

but……

Why should Hualan explain this to me in person?

Yuan Wenshao found it increasingly strange, and he pressed the servant for an answer several more times, but Sheng Changwu said nothing more than that.

So he ordered someone to bring Hualan over, placed the letter on the table, and asked suspiciously, "My lady, what exactly happened last night? Why did Changwu refuse to accept the letter and still want you to come and explain in person?"

Hua Lan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she immediately recalled the embarrassment of being stared at by Jia Lian yesterday.

Is this Changwu's intention, or is it some instruction from Second Master Lian?!

Seeing his wife's unusual expression, Yuan Wenshao became even more suspicious. He couldn't help but grab Hua Lan's hand and asked in a deep voice, "This is of great importance. You'd better tell me everything clearly, without hiding anything!"

He paused, then added, "If you're unwilling to tell me, I'll go and ask Changwu myself what he means!"

As he spoke, he made a move to walk out.

"Wait a minute, Erlang!"

Hua Lan quickly called out to him, biting her lip and hesitating for a moment before stammering, "After I finished explaining to Second Master Lian, he... he stared at me for a long time for some reason. I felt uneasy, so I didn't dare go back. I only asked Second Master to write a letter, but I didn't expect..."

Yuan Wenshao's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

Anger, shock, fear...

A torrent of emotions surged up, leaving him feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Hua Lan noticed something was wrong and quickly helped him sit down in a chair. While massaging his chest, she said, "Erlang, don't worry. If it really doesn't work, we'll think of another way."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Wenshao's expression changed repeatedly, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but he couldn't utter a single word, "good."

After a long pause, he said in a hoarse voice, "Perhaps there's some misunderstanding."

Hua Lan's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "What...what do you mean? Do you want me to risk my life?!"

Yuan Wenshao avoided her gaze, clenched his fists, and said in a muffled voice, "I just think it might be a false alarm."

"But what if it's true?!"

Hua Lan's originally fair face flushed red with anger: "That Jia Lian is Gu Tingye's good brother. Even if he doesn't have Gu Tingye's infamous reputation, he's probably still a womanizer. Are you really going to do this for power...?"

"What kind of life are we living now?!"

Before Hua Lan could finish speaking, Yuan Wenshao abruptly stood up, pointed outside, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Haven't you had enough of this kind of humiliation?! Have you ever thought about how your mother and sister-in-law would react if your dowry were completely taken away?!"

Hua Lan met his gaze without flinching, took a deep breath, and said, "Erlang only talks about the benefits of an official position, but have you considered what would happen to me if word got out? What would become of the Yuan and Sheng families' reputations?!"

Yuan Wenshao fell silent and slumped back down.

Of course, he didn't want to be a pimp, but when he thought about how his elder brother had interfered and ruined his plans, when he thought about how he would have to be subservient to his elder brother for the rest of his life if he didn't have an official position, and when he thought about the benefits of getting on Jia Lian's good side, the scales in his heart began to waver.

Seeing his state, Hua Lan took his hand and said, "Er Lang, let's think of another way. At worst, I'll sell some land and shops and spend more money to bribe officials so I can make up for this job."

Yuan Wenshao subconsciously replied, "But that's only a seventh-rank patrol officer. On our own, we'd probably never get promoted in our lifetime."

This is his truest thought from the bottom of his heart.

Ultimately, this marriage was arranged by the family to fill a financial hole, and Yuan Wenshao didn't really think much of the Sheng family.

Although times have changed, he is now mostly using Hua Lan and doesn't have much genuine affection for her—at least not as important to him as power.

Yuan Wenshao's resistance stemmed largely from his pride and the constraints of societal norms...

Upon hearing this, Hua Lan released her husband's hand, utterly disappointed, and asked, "Does Erlang want to exchange me for a military command or a garrison position?!"

She knew, of course, that her husband didn't love her, but she never expected that Yuan Wenshao would want to exchange her for wealth and status.

Yuan Wenshao hesitated, speechless, but inwardly he was calculating. Although being the commander of a city's military forces meant real power, the position was still too small. If he could become the garrison commander, he could command three or four thousand men from five cities...

Seeing his expression, Hua Lan felt utterly disheartened. With red eyes, she spread a piece of paper on the table and said resentfully, "If my husband dares to sign a written agreement, I dare to agree to this!"

Yuan Wenshao glanced at Hua Lan, then at the papers spread out on the table, and then sat there motionless.

Hua Lan didn't urge them, but stood by with a cold expression.

The couple, one sitting and one standing, seemed to be separated by an insurmountable chasm.